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Stickiness (DAU/MAU)

Quick Definition

The ratio of daily to monthly active users, measuring how often users return and engage with your product.


What is Stickiness?

Stickiness (DAU/MAU ratio) measures how often your monthly users return daily. It shows whether your product is a daily habit or occasional tool. Higher stickiness indicates stronger engagement and retention potential.

A stickiness of 50% means half your monthly users come back every day. A stickiness of 10% means users only engage a few times per month.

Why Stickiness Matters

Sticky products have better retention and higher lifetime value. Users who engage daily build habits and are less likely to churn. High stickiness also creates more opportunities for monetization and word-of-mouth growth.

Stickiness expectations vary by product type. Social media aims for 50%+. A monthly reporting tool might naturally have 10% and still be healthy.

Improving Stickiness

Build daily use cases into your product. Send timely notifications without being spammy. Create streaks or daily rewards. Make the product faster and easier to use. Understand what brings power users back and amplify those features.

Formula

Stickiness = Daily Active Users ÷ Monthly Active Users × 100

Also called DAU/MAU ratio

Higher = users return more frequently

Example

Your SaaS product measures monthly engagement:

  • Daily Active Users (avg): 3,000
  • Monthly Active Users: 15,000

Stickiness = 3,000 ÷ 15,000 = 20%

On average, 20% of your monthly users come back each day. Social apps aim for 50%+. B2B SaaS tools might be healthy at 20-30%.

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